Brian & Thomas Owens (2013)
“A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke is about the struggles and hopes of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement, inspired by Cooke’s personal experiences with racism, particularly an incident where he was denied service at a whites-only motel. The song expresses a deep yearning for social justice and equality, becoming an anthem for the movement.
Cooke was known for civil rights awareness-tinged and this was personnel. It’s Cooke’s response, reportedly, to a moment of segregation in Louisiana, where he was unable to stay at a motel that was only taken business from white people. It’s a poignant musical example of the struggle of Cooke and other blacks dealt with then – and continues to do so in many ways.